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MS Word (365) is continually freezing up.

Jim Colyn 0 Reputation points
2026-03-19T15:02:38.1666667+00:00

I have Office 365. MS Word is continually freezing up, especially when creating a .pdf.

Microsoft 365 and Office | Word | For home | Windows
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  1. TaoLi 79,210 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-03-19T15:43:46.5633333+00:00

    Hello,

    Open Settings → Apps → Installed apps → Microsoft 365 → Modify

    First select: Quick Repair

    If that doesn't work, then select: Online Repair

    See if repairing Office resolves the issue.

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  2. AI answer

    2026-03-19T15:02:54.6733333+00:00

    Word freezing when creating PDFs is a known issue area. Use the following steps to troubleshoot and work around it:

    1. Repair the Office installation (more thorough than “Repair now” inside Word):
      1. Close all Office apps.
      2. Open Start > Settings > System > Apps > Installed apps.
      3. Find Microsoft Office (or Microsoft 365 Apps), select the three dots, choose Modify.
      4. Select Online Repair, then Repair.
      5. When finished, restart the computer and test Word again, especially the PDF creation.
    2. Update Office to the latest version:
      1. Open Word (if it will stay open long enough).
      2. Go to File > Account > Update Options > Update Now.
      3. Install any available updates, then restart Word and test.
    3. If freezing occurs specifically when saving to OneDrive as PDF: This is a documented issue in Word for Microsoft 365 for Mac where saving as PDF to an online location (such as OneDrive) can misbehave. Try this workaround when saving as PDF to OneDrive:
      1. Save the file locally as PDF first (e.g., to Desktop).
      2. Then upload the PDF to OneDrive manually. – or –
      3. Save to OneDrive, then manually change the file extension to .pdf if it is saved incorrectly.
    4. If Word still will not work reliably after Online Repair:
      1. Uninstall Office from Settings > Apps > Installed apps (or Apps & Features / Programs and Features on older Windows).
      2. Restart the PC (full restart, not shutdown).
      3. Reinstall Office from the Microsoft account services page.

    These steps address common causes of Word instability and freezing, especially around saving and working with files.

    References:

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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